The Los Angeles County Public Works Department on Sept. 1 entered its new exclusive contract for service in unincorporated Altadena with Athens, which charges $54 a quarter for basic three-can service, compared to quarterly prices of $89.68 for Allied and $91.11 for Athens in La Cañada.

La Cañada's contracts with Athens and Allied were renewed at the end of 2010 and expire in 2014.

Allied Services' rate in La Crescenta, meanwhile, is within 20 cents of their rate in La Cañada. Susan Passantino of Allied said the two cities were similar in terms of the factors used to determine pricing. VALLEY SUN